A Rathfarnham woman was left shocked when she was told she would be “lucky to be raped ” while fundraising for a volunteer and support service recently.

Anne Doyle was astonished on Thursday when an elderly man made the outrageous remarks.

The 26-year-old actor said the incident happened while she was collecting for the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre 's annual Flag Day.

She told The Irish Mirror: “I was standing outside Rathfarnham Shopping Centre with my little bucket and generally the response is really good.

“This elderly man came over to me and he shook my bucket, which was a bit weird.

“He said, ‘Oh a pretty girl like you should be so lucky to be raped. I bet the boys are queuing up to rape you.’”

Anne said that she was stunned by the comments and did not know how to respond.

She said: “To be honest I was so shocked I didn’t say anything, in a way I was so freaked out I didn’t know what to say.

“Part of me thought if I was to respond or anything he could go on the defensive and I just didn’t want to get into it with him.”

Anne, who is from Rathfarnham, also stressed that while she doesn’t think the man was dangerous, she does think it’s a sign of a bigger problem regarding our attitudes to rape.

She said: “The worst bit about it is I know that man probably doesn’t think he said anything wrong. “I bet he thought he was complimenting me or joking, that it was banter, as they say ‘locker room banter.’

“We’ve heard a lot about that this week because of Donald Trump but it’s not just in America, it’s here too.”

Anne also claimed that it wasn’t the only disparaging remark she heard about the DRCC. She said: “Another guy said to me, ‘The Rape Crisis Centre? Jesus, I’ve heard it all now.’ “It was ridiculous.”

Anne shared her experience in a Facebook post as well and commented: “Ladies and gentlemen, [that] is why we need feminism.”

If you need help from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre call 1800 77 88 88 or visit www.drcc.ie .